2023 NFL Draft Thread

[Roy H.]

May as well start this thread to discuss prospects, trades, etc.

This could be huge:

An arrest warrant has been issued for Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter stemming from the traffic accident that killed teammate Devin Willock and  Bulldogs football staffer Chandler LeCroy back in January.

The statement from the ACCPD announcing the warrants (via The Athletic’s Seth Emerson) notes that Carter and LeCroy were both driving “in a manner consistent with racing,” and determined that “alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Carter misled police about his whereabouts at the time of the crash. Both charges Carter is facing are misdemeanors, per Emerson.

Carter is currently in attendance at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and is widely regarded as one of the top overall prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.

There were already whispers about "character concerns" with Carter before this report.  Now, it's alleged he showed extraordinarily poor judgment by, at best, recklessly racing with an intoxicated teammate and then misleading police.  It's probably reasonable to think that Carter was intoxicated himself.

A lot of pundits were predicting that the Bears might be comfortable dropping to 4th in the draft, because the "top four" prospects are elite (with Carter being one of them).  At this point, do the Bears feel comfortable dropping below #2?

[Moranis]

May as well start this thread to discuss prospects, trades, etc.

This could be huge:

An arrest warrant has been issued for Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter stemming from the traffic accident that killed teammate Devin Willock and  Bulldogs football staffer Chandler LeCroy back in January.

The statement from the ACCPD announcing the warrants (via The Athletic’s Seth Emerson) notes that Carter and LeCroy were both driving “in a manner consistent with racing,” and determined that “alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Carter misled police about his whereabouts at the time of the crash. Both charges Carter is facing are misdemeanors, per Emerson.

Carter is currently in attendance at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and is widely regarded as one of the top overall prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.

There were already whispers about "character concerns" with Carter before this report.  Now, it's alleged he showed extraordinarily poor judgment by, at best, recklessly racing with an intoxicated teammate and then misleading police.  It's probably reasonable to think that Carter was intoxicated himself.

A lot of pundits were predicting that the Bears might be comfortable dropping to 4th in the draft, because the "top four" prospects are elite (with Carter being one of them).  At this point, do the Bears feel comfortable dropping below #2?

they are just misdemeanor charges for him.  Still might give a team pause, but no felony charges is also big since it seems like those were potentially on the table.

If anything this might make the Bears moving back more likely since it is more like Carter will be on the board at 4 (assuming they are comfortable drafting him).

[Roy H.]

May as well start this thread to discuss prospects, trades, etc.

This could be huge:

An arrest warrant has been issued for Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter stemming from the traffic accident that killed teammate Devin Willock and  Bulldogs football staffer Chandler LeCroy back in January.

The statement from the ACCPD announcing the warrants (via The Athletic’s Seth Emerson) notes that Carter and LeCroy were both driving “in a manner consistent with racing,” and determined that “alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Carter misled police about his whereabouts at the time of the crash. Both charges Carter is facing are misdemeanors, per Emerson.

Carter is currently in attendance at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and is widely regarded as one of the top overall prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.

There were already whispers about "character concerns" with Carter before this report.  Now, it's alleged he showed extraordinarily poor judgment by, at best, recklessly racing with an intoxicated teammate and then misleading police.  It's probably reasonable to think that Carter was intoxicated himself.

A lot of pundits were predicting that the Bears might be comfortable dropping to 4th in the draft, because the "top four" prospects are elite (with Carter being one of them).  At this point, do the Bears feel comfortable dropping below #2?

they are just misdemeanor charges for him.  Still might give a team pause, but no felony charges is also big since it seems like those were potentially on the table.

If anything this might make the Bears moving back more likely since it is more like Carter will be on the board at 4 (assuming they are comfortable drafting him).

I think the Bears were previously happy with whichever non-QB fell to #4.  Now, I doubt they are.

He's lucky he dodged felony charges.  A more zealous prosecutor could have easily gotten an indictment.  Hell, a prosecutor probably could have gotten a manslaughter, or even a murder, indictment.  That doesn't mean he could have proven his case at trial, but that hasn't stopped prosecutors in the past. 

Carter has just proven himself to be an extremely reckless and stupid person.  I'm not sure that a franchise can build around him with any degree of confidence.

[gouki88]

Both the NFL and NBA suffering from having top prospects (Carter & Miller respectively) showing less than stellar judgement, at the very best.

I get the feeling that this probably won’t make Carter fall too much though. We’ve seen lots of football players get drafted highly despite histories of poor judgement / violence / what have you.

[Moranis]

May as well start this thread to discuss prospects, trades, etc.

This could be huge:

An arrest warrant has been issued for Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter stemming from the traffic accident that killed teammate Devin Willock and  Bulldogs football staffer Chandler LeCroy back in January.

The statement from the ACCPD announcing the warrants (via The Athletic’s Seth Emerson) notes that Carter and LeCroy were both driving “in a manner consistent with racing,” and determined that “alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Carter misled police about his whereabouts at the time of the crash. Both charges Carter is facing are misdemeanors, per Emerson.

Carter is currently in attendance at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and is widely regarded as one of the top overall prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.

There were already whispers about "character concerns" with Carter before this report.  Now, it's alleged he showed extraordinarily poor judgment by, at best, recklessly racing with an intoxicated teammate and then misleading police.  It's probably reasonable to think that Carter was intoxicated himself.

A lot of pundits were predicting that the Bears might be comfortable dropping to 4th in the draft, because the "top four" prospects are elite (with Carter being one of them).  At this point, do the Bears feel comfortable dropping below #2?

they are just misdemeanor charges for him.  Still might give a team pause, but no felony charges is also big since it seems like those were potentially on the table.

If anything this might make the Bears moving back more likely since it is more like Carter will be on the board at 4 (assuming they are comfortable drafting him).

I think the Bears were previously happy with whichever non-QB fell to #4.  Now, I doubt they are.

He's lucky he dodged felony charges.  A more zealous prosecutor could have easily gotten an indictment.  Hell, a prosecutor probably could have gotten a manslaughter, or even a murder, indictment.  That doesn't mean he could have proven his case at trial, but that hasn't stopped prosecutors in the past. 

Carter has just proven himself to be an extremely reckless and stupid person.  I'm not sure that a franchise can build around him with any degree of confidence.

I don't disagree, but NFL teams really only care about 2 things, 1 can you play, and 2 are you available to play.  By most accounts, Carter is the Bears target and has been the whole time.  Perhaps this news changes their opinion, but they've been rumored to always want him and believed they could move back to 4 and still get him (the first 2 would be QB's and then the Cardinals have been pegged as targeting Anderson since the moment their draft position was announced). 

[Birdman]

Indy needs a QB badly so they will trade up to get Stroud plus get some Buckeyes fans from nearby Ohio to get fans in seats

[wdleehi]

Did he drive away? 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35760585/warrants-arrest-jalen-carter-ex-georgia-star-nfl-draft-prospect

According to documents and recordings of 911 calls reviewed by the Journal-Constitution, at least two vehicles driven by Georgia football players had been at the scene, including the Jeep driven by Carter, who left the scene before police or emergency personnel arrived.

Carter returned to the scene less than two hours later, according to the paper, which reported that he was asked by police whether he had been racing the vehicle that crashed.

Documents reviewed by the Journal-Constitution show that Carter first told police that he heard the crash from a nearby apartment complex, but then later told an officer he had been driving both behind and beside the SUV driven by LeCroy.

This is the type of thing that causes you to fall down the draft board.   

[Moranis]

Did he drive away? 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35760585/warrants-arrest-jalen-carter-ex-georgia-star-nfl-draft-prospect

According to documents and recordings of 911 calls reviewed by the Journal-Constitution, at least two vehicles driven by Georgia football players had been at the scene, including the Jeep driven by Carter, who left the scene before police or emergency personnel arrived.

Carter returned to the scene less than two hours later, according to the paper, which reported that he was asked by police whether he had been racing the vehicle that crashed.

Documents reviewed by the Journal-Constitution show that Carter first told police that he heard the crash from a nearby apartment complex, but then later told an officer he had been driving both behind and beside the SUV driven by LeCroy.

This is the type of thing that causes you to fall down the draft board.

He did, though he was not in an accident so no crime was committed, which is why he wasn't charged with fleeing.

[wdleehi]

Did he drive away? 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35760585/warrants-arrest-jalen-carter-ex-georgia-star-nfl-draft-prospect

According to documents and recordings of 911 calls reviewed by the Journal-Constitution, at least two vehicles driven by Georgia football players had been at the scene, including the Jeep driven by Carter, who left the scene before police or emergency personnel arrived.

Carter returned to the scene less than two hours later, according to the paper, which reported that he was asked by police whether he had been racing the vehicle that crashed.

Documents reviewed by the Journal-Constitution show that Carter first told police that he heard the crash from a nearby apartment complex, but then later told an officer he had been driving both behind and beside the SUV driven by LeCroy.

This is the type of thing that causes you to fall down the draft board.

He did, though he was not in an accident so no crime was committed, which is why he wasn't charged with fleeing.

But left his teammate and friend. 

[Roy H.]

Did he drive away? 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35760585/warrants-arrest-jalen-carter-ex-georgia-star-nfl-draft-prospect

According to documents and recordings of 911 calls reviewed by the Journal-Constitution, at least two vehicles driven by Georgia football players had been at the scene, including the Jeep driven by Carter, who left the scene before police or emergency personnel arrived.

Carter returned to the scene less than two hours later, according to the paper, which reported that he was asked by police whether he had been racing the vehicle that crashed.

Documents reviewed by the Journal-Constitution show that Carter first told police that he heard the crash from a nearby apartment complex, but then later told an officer he had been driving both behind and beside the SUV driven by LeCroy.

This is the type of thing that causes you to fall down the draft board.

He did, though he was not in an accident so no crime was committed, which is why he wasn't charged with fleeing.

But left his teammate and friend.

Yep.  When your first instinct is to hide while two people are dead or dying, and a third is injured, it speaks volumes about character.

[Donoghus]

Did he drive away? 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35760585/warrants-arrest-jalen-carter-ex-georgia-star-nfl-draft-prospect

According to documents and recordings of 911 calls reviewed by the Journal-Constitution, at least two vehicles driven by Georgia football players had been at the scene, including the Jeep driven by Carter, who left the scene before police or emergency personnel arrived.

Carter returned to the scene less than two hours later, according to the paper, which reported that he was asked by police whether he had been racing the vehicle that crashed.

Documents reviewed by the Journal-Constitution show that Carter first told police that he heard the crash from a nearby apartment complex, but then later told an officer he had been driving both behind and beside the SUV driven by LeCroy.

This is the type of thing that causes you to fall down the draft board.

He did, though he was not in an accident so no crime was committed, which is why he wasn't charged with fleeing.

But left his teammate and friend.

Yep.  When your first instinct is to hide while two people are dead or dying, and a third is injured, it speaks volumes about character.

It might not necessarily be criminal but its a horrible reflection of character not to mention the street racing part of it also.  We've seen guys get dinged and slipped in the draft before for character issues.

[Roy H.]

“The investigation found that Chandler LeCroy, driver of the 2021 Ford Expedition, and Jalen Carter, driver of a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk, were operating their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing shortly after leaving the downtown Athens area at about 2:30 a.m. The evidence demonstrated that both vehicles switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, overtook other motorists and drove at high rates of speed in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other. Evidence indicated that shortly before the crash the Expedition was traveling at about 104 miles per hour. The toxicology report indicated that LeCroy’s blood alcohol concentration was .197 at the time of the crash. Investigators determined that alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.”

[tazzmaniac]

May as well start this thread to discuss prospects, trades, etc.

This could be huge:

An arrest warrant has been issued for Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter stemming from the traffic accident that killed teammate Devin Willock and  Bulldogs football staffer Chandler LeCroy back in January.

The statement from the ACCPD announcing the warrants (via The Athletic’s Seth Emerson) notes that Carter and LeCroy were both driving “in a manner consistent with racing,” and determined that “alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Carter misled police about his whereabouts at the time of the crash. Both charges Carter is facing are misdemeanors, per Emerson.

Carter is currently in attendance at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and is widely regarded as one of the top overall prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.

There were already whispers about "character concerns" with Carter before this report.  Now, it's alleged he showed extraordinarily poor judgment by, at best, recklessly racing with an intoxicated teammate and then misleading police.  It's probably reasonable to think that Carter was intoxicated himself.

A lot of pundits were predicting that the Bears might be comfortable dropping to 4th in the draft, because the "top four" prospects are elite (with Carter being one of them).  At this point, do the Bears feel comfortable dropping below #2?

they are just misdemeanor charges for him.  Still might give a team pause, but no felony charges is also big since it seems like those were potentially on the table.

If anything this might make the Bears moving back more likely since it is more like Carter will be on the board at 4 (assuming they are comfortable drafting him).

I think the Bears were previously happy with whichever non-QB fell to #4.  Now, I doubt they are.

He's lucky he dodged felony charges.  A more zealous prosecutor could have easily gotten an indictment.  Hell, a prosecutor probably could have gotten a manslaughter, or even a murder, indictment.  That doesn't mean he could have proven his case at trial, but that hasn't stopped prosecutors in the past. 

Carter has just proven himself to be an extremely reckless and stupid person.  I'm not sure that a franchise can build around him with any degree of confidence.

There's nothing to say the charges won't be upgraded.  Better to undercharge and then upgrade if the evidence warrants it.  I read Carter has said different things about his proximity to the accident.  Sounds like there was a 3rd vehicle driven by another UGA player,  Jamon Dumas-Johnson, at the scene.  He apparently was arrested for another incident of similar activity. 

Dumas-Johnson, the Bulldogs' second-leading tackler last season, also was arrested on Feb. 22 on charges of reckless driving and racing related to a separate incident.

According to Athens-Clarke County jail records, Dumas-Johnson was released on Feb. 23 after posting a combined bond of $4,000 -- $2,500 for allegedly racing on highways/streets and $1,500 for alleged reckless driving.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35760585/warrants-arrest-jalen-carter-ex-georgia-star-nfl-draft-prospect

[celticsclay]

May as well start this thread to discuss prospects, trades, etc.

This could be huge:

An arrest warrant has been issued for Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter stemming from the traffic accident that killed teammate Devin Willock and  Bulldogs football staffer Chandler LeCroy back in January.

The statement from the ACCPD announcing the warrants (via The Athletic’s Seth Emerson) notes that Carter and LeCroy were both driving “in a manner consistent with racing,” and determined that “alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Carter misled police about his whereabouts at the time of the crash. Both charges Carter is facing are misdemeanors, per Emerson.

Carter is currently in attendance at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and is widely regarded as one of the top overall prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.

There were already whispers about "character concerns" with Carter before this report.  Now, it's alleged he showed extraordinarily poor judgment by, at best, recklessly racing with an intoxicated teammate and then misleading police.  It's probably reasonable to think that Carter was intoxicated himself.

A lot of pundits were predicting that the Bears might be comfortable dropping to 4th in the draft, because the "top four" prospects are elite (with Carter being one of them).  At this point, do the Bears feel comfortable dropping below #2?

they are just misdemeanor charges for him.  Still might give a team pause, but no felony charges is also big since it seems like those were potentially on the table.

If anything this might make the Bears moving back more likely since it is more like Carter will be on the board at 4 (assuming they are comfortable drafting him).

I apologize in advance I am confusing you with a different poster, but I thought you were kind of adamant the Alabama guard should be charged with something, even pretty substantial charges despite not be charged with anything and the police saying he was a cooperative witness. But then not thinking a guy drag racing and lying about it when a woman died is that big a deal. I’m asking this in good faith and just trying to understand.

[tazzmaniac]

May as well start this thread to discuss prospects, trades, etc.

This could be huge:

An arrest warrant has been issued for Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter stemming from the traffic accident that killed teammate Devin Willock and  Bulldogs football staffer Chandler LeCroy back in January.

The statement from the ACCPD announcing the warrants (via The Athletic’s Seth Emerson) notes that Carter and LeCroy were both driving “in a manner consistent with racing,” and determined that “alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Carter misled police about his whereabouts at the time of the crash. Both charges Carter is facing are misdemeanors, per Emerson.

Carter is currently in attendance at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and is widely regarded as one of the top overall prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.

There were already whispers about "character concerns" with Carter before this report.  Now, it's alleged he showed extraordinarily poor judgment by, at best, recklessly racing with an intoxicated teammate and then misleading police.  It's probably reasonable to think that Carter was intoxicated himself.

A lot of pundits were predicting that the Bears might be comfortable dropping to 4th in the draft, because the "top four" prospects are elite (with Carter being one of them).  At this point, do the Bears feel comfortable dropping below #2?

they are just misdemeanor charges for him.  Still might give a team pause, but no felony charges is also big since it seems like those were potentially on the table.

If anything this might make the Bears moving back more likely since it is more like Carter will be on the board at 4 (assuming they are comfortable drafting him).

I apologize in advance I am confusing you with a different poster, but I thought you were kind of adamant the Alabama guard should be charged with something, even pretty substantial charges despite not be charged with anything and the police saying he was a cooperative witness. But then not thinking a guy drag racing and lying about it when a woman died is that big a deal. I’m asking this in good faith and just trying to understand.

One of his fellow football players died too.